Tang Yuan (Glutinous Rice Balls)
This tang yuan recipe features delicate and chewy spheres of glutinous rice flour enveloping sweet black sesame fillings that gently float in a warm sweetened ginger broth.
Servings 5 servings
Calories 440kcal
Ingredients
Black Sesame Filling
- ⅓ cup (50 g) roasted black sesame seeds
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoon (43 g) unsalted butter softened room temperature
- 1 tablespoons (20 g) peanut butter
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Dough
- 1 ¾ cup (200 g) glutinous rice flour
- ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon (190 ml) warm water (100°F or 40°C)
Sweet Ginger Broth
- ¼ cup (50 g) Chinese rock sugar or brown sugar
- 4 cups (950 ml) water
- 2-3 slices (50 g) fresh ginger
Instructions
Black Sesame Filling
- Pulverize black sesame seeds. In a food processor, pulverize the black sesame seeds, granulated sugar, and salt until it forms a very fine powder.
- Add butter and peanut butter. Add the butter and peanut butter and blitz until it turns into a paste.
- Freeze. Transfer the filling onto plastic wrap, shape it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick. Then wrap and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Shape. Once firm, cut the filling into 1/2 inch squares and roll them into a ball with your hands. You should have about 20 pieces. Chill them in the freezer while you prepare the dough.
Dough
- Make the dough. While the filling is in the freezer, in a medium bowl, add the glutinous rice flour. Slowly add the warm water while mixing the dough with chopsticks. Once it comes together knead the dough until smooth, pliable, and soft. Adjust the consistency by adding more water or flour if needed.
- Rest. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes.
- Divide the dough. Divide the dough in half, roll each half into logs about 1 inch thick. Then cut each log into 10 equal sized pieces for a total of 20 pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying.
Sweet ginger Broth
- Sweet ginger broth. In a small saucepan, mix the brown sugar, water and ginger and bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat for 5 minutes. Then remove the ginger.
Assemble
- Assemble. Take one piece of dough and use your thumb to create a cavity in the center of the ball. Place a ball of sesame filling into the dough and then pinch the dough over the filling to seal the filling in. Quickly roll the dough in your palms to smooth out the seams. Continue with the remaining dough and filling pieces. Cover the assembled tang yuan with plastic wrap to prevent them from cracking.
- Cook. In a large pot, bring water to a boil over high heat. Then using a spider strainer, carefully place a batch of tang yuan into the pot. Make sure to not overcrowd the pot. Stir them occasionally to prevent them from sticking to the pot and each other. Lower the heat to medium high heat for a constant boil. Once they begin to float, cook them for an additional 30 seconds to 1 minute before removing, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve. Place the warm ginger broth into serving bowls and add the black sesame balls. Enjoy!
Notes
- Proper dough consistency. The consistency of the dough should be smooth, elastic, and not too dry where it cracks and not too sticky where it sticks to your fingers. You may need to adjust the water or flour as needed for the desired texture.
- Let the dough rest. Letting the dough rest is important to give the dough time to fully absorb the water and become easily pliable.
- Prepare and freeze the filling. It is very important to freeze the black sesame filling after you divide and shape them into balls. This will make assembly so much easier. If it begins to melt as you assemble, keep them in the freezer as you assemble each one.
- Cover the dough while assembling. While assembling the tangyuan, cover both the dough and rice balls with plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out.
- If the dough cracks, if the dough cracks while you are assembling, your dough may be too dry. Wet the cracked area with water and gently massage it to seal.
- Seal the glutinous rice balls completely. When assembling, make sure the rice balls do not have any cracks to prevent them from bursting when being cooked.
- Cook in simmering water. Make sure the water is not at a roaring boil to prevent the black sesame balls from falling apart or becoming too mushy.
Nutrition
Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 87mg | Potassium: 119mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 214IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 2mg